Ukraine refutes Russia’s claims of “fully processing” list of abducted children

The Office of the President of Ukraine has refuted claims made by the Russian delegation that the Russian Federation had “fully processed” a list of abducted Ukrainian children. Ukraine stated that Russia has provided only partial information on less than a fifth of the children from an initial list of 339 names.

The clarification was issued by Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s Office, following a series of statements made to the media by the Russian delegation after the third round of talks in Istanbul on July 23.

Photo credits: Ukrinform

Ukraine gave Russia the initial list of 339 names as a confidence-building measure. In international diplomatic practice, such measures are used to:

• make a limited but measurable move;
• test whether the other party is prepared to act in good faith;
• create the groundwork for further agreements.

Yermak clarified that Russia’s response as of July 24 is fragmented.

“Russia has provided only partial information on less than a fifth of the children from the initial list,” the statement said. “Regarding more than 200 children, including pupils from the Kherson Children’s Home, there has been no response whatsoever,” he stated.

The President’s Office declared that the assertion of the list being “fully processed” does not correspond to reality.

Key points of clarification:

• On Returned Children: The Russian delegation claimed that a portion of the children had already been returned. Yermak pointed out that this refers to only six children (five of whom are from one family) who were returned last week. “This was made possible thanks to a lengthy humanitarian process mediated by the State of Qatar, which has been ongoing for over a year. This case primarily demonstrates the results of Qatar’s mediation,” the Office stated, distinguishing it from the Istanbul process.

• On Children Who Reached Adulthood: Russia claimed some individuals on the list had reached the age of 18. Yermak specified that this includes residents of the Oleshky boarding school for people with disabilities. He stressed that their forced transfer is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. “Reaching the age of 18 does not nullify the commission of a war crime and does not deprive these individuals of their right to return home.”

• On Children Allegedly in Europe: The Russian delegation publicly claimed that some children from the list are now in Europe. Yermak countered that Russia has only vaguely informed Ukraine that two children had allegedly left Russian territory, without specifying the country or any other details. Ukraine expects full information from Russia on the circumstances of their departure.

Yermak affirmed that Ukraine remains open to further engagement on this humanitarian track and awaits a complete and meaningful response for every child on the list.

Humanitarian initiative “BringKidsBack” stated that the Russian Federation still has no official registry of deported Ukrainian children, which is a clear violation of international humanitarian law, including Article 78 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.

The human rights defenders of the BringKidsBack stated that Russia’s manipulations aim to discredit Ukraine’s humanitarian efforts, distract from the issue, legitimize child abductions, and obstruct the return of children.

Earlier, during the negotiations, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, reportedly reacted to Ukraine’s offer with disdain. According to Oliver Carroll of The Economist, when Ukraine presented the list, Medinsky stated that they should not “put on a show for bleeding-heart European old ladies with no children of their own.”

Furthermore, Axios reported that during the talks, Medinsky dismissed claims of thousands of deported children as “propaganda,” denying the abductions and insisting that Russian forces were “rescuing” children whose lives were in danger.

Ukrainian authorities stated they remain open to dialogue within this humanitarian track but expect a full, truthful, and individual response regarding each child on the list. Without the return of the children, a just peace is impossible.